Today, many applications which are executed on mobile devices require some form of user authentication. For example, a personal identification number (PIN) may be required for unlocking the functionality of a given application. Many of these applications are executed in relatively secure environments in mobile devices that are equipped with near field communication (NFC) technology, in particular in secure elements comprised in such mobile devices. Secure elements may be implemented as embedded chips, in particular as tamper-resistant integrated circuits with installed or pre-installed smart-card-grade applications, for instance payment applications, which have a prescribed functionality and a prescribed level of security.